The wall cover is for instance known as facing when applied to an existing support. Facings are generally fitted directly to any rough or coated, flat and vertical supports, though in the event of poor flatness of such supports, a skeleton may be installed to which the composite material facing can be secured. In case of an interposed skeleton, reference is no longer made to a facing but to a cladding of the building by means of a wall insulating cover.
These covers generally always have two main functions, thermal insulation and impermeability, whether applied to new buildings or the renovation of old buildings.
Among the facings known today, although results are achieved in the matter of thermal insulation material, numerous inconveniences exist particularly with regard to the ease of installation on site since such facings include securing means to the wall, generally, of a complex nature, executed by means of rails to which hooks are fitted allowing the installation of the various cover components to the rail or in the manner of tiles on a roof. Tee-sections may also be used. In addition to installation difficulties, these facings have a further important inconvenience: they are not aesthetic in appearance since all the external hooks are visible and very prominent. The hooks may be damaged or ripped away.
Among the existing facings there are numerous installation possibilities. Wall insulating facings available on the market today consist of several components which have to be drawn, designed, manufactured and stored according to the type of facing used or according to the area of facing thus constructed.
Bearing in mind that with these securing means by rails or hooks, the known facings made up by the assembly of various facing components, generally have poor poor wateproofing features and to achieve a seal it is necessary to use seals which are eventually destined to deteriorate.
It is also necessary for the materials thus used to have a sufficient impact resistance and to present self washable qualities allowing the faces of graffiti applied for instance by means of paint aerosols to be removed.
Facings or claddings have already been designed today consisting of an external cover produced in a natural or synthetic material. To this cover is applied an insulating panel of sufficient thickness, for instance a few centimeters to several tenth of centimeters. The insulating panels most frequently used are generally made of expanded polystyrene bonded behind the external facing.
In the known facings, the insulating expanded polystyrene panels are cut out along their periphery to join the adjacent panel. This provision is necessary bearing in mind securing systems in use but it sometimes presents a problem in the sense that it may cause excessive thickness and facing flatness defects along the whole of the wall facing.
External facings have a flat surface but when applied with known devices for wall insulation facings, it is found that differences, sometimes considerable, exist in flatness compared with adjacent panels. In certain areas considerable flatness defects are commonly seen and this is all the more inconvenient that on observing from the base of the wall and looking upwards the eye easily detects them in a glancing light.
The purpose of the present invention is to remedy such inconveniences and for that purpose, one of the initial aims is to provide a composite material facing which can be used in the construction industry to provide a wall facing, of easy manufacture since the number of components forming the facing is reduced to a minimum. All the insulation, joining, securing and drainage functions are concentrated in each facing component forming the wall insulating cover and a single type of component may be used.
The installation of such a composite material facing is thus facilitated, whether it be a matter of a cover secured to an existing support or cladding to secured to a fired support. The installation is very easy since the structure is simple ad the securing means do not call for rails secured to the wall, nor hooks fitted to the facing secured to the rail.
Another purpose of the composite material facing which may be used in the building industry to achieve a wall facing cover according to the invention is to ensure very good weatherproofing and protection of the facing from rainwater collected on the outer face of the facing or with regard to condensation water on the internal face turned towards the building.
Another purpose of the composite material facing which may be used in the building industry to achieve a wall facing cover according to the invention is to ensure a good impact resistance. The condition of the facing surface will also have good resistance properties and will preferably by rot-proof and self-washable.
Another advantage of the composite material facing used for facing a wall according to the invention is that the connecting means have a greatly reduced surface and volume and are thus hidden by adjacent facings. The external surface finish of the facing formed by a multitude of facings is thus an excellent flatness and a perfect very flat finish, without asperities nor hooks.
Another feature of the composite material facing which may be used in the building industry to achieve a wall facing cover according to the invention is that the facing connecting means are integral with the strong outer faces and do not stress the thicker expanded polystyrene insulating panel which has a lower strength.
Another purpose of the composite material facing which may be used in the building industry to achieve a wall facing cover according to the invention is to achieve an excellent flatness by means of expanded polystyrene insulating panels brought together end to end without assembly nor interpenetration of the panels one into the other.
Another advantage of the composite material facing which may be used in the building industry to achieve a wall facing cover according to the invention is that each outer facing, when interlocked into the four adjacent facings, has a strictly flat surface without projection nor defect. The contiguous surfaces of all adjacent faces are as close as possible to each other to improve insulation and impermeability to rainwater in the vertical or horizontal facing join zones.
Another purpose of the composite material facing to achieve a wall cover is to utilise insulating panel blocks uncut at their periphery to achieve the connection, which gives a far better insulation and better connection of facings.
A further advantage of the composite material facing to achieve a wall cover is to provide connecting means and an outer cover with insulating panels brought together end to end allowing the building of a wall with a visible flat material external surface and a minimal surface for the joins between each facing, which is useful particularly from the aesthetic and the insulation viewpoints.